Security System for Inventory

ABSTRACT

A security system for inventory automatically detects removal of inventory items from an area or areas protected with security sensors. A person removing the item then scans an identifying code of the item, such as its bar code or radio-frequency identification (“RFID”) tag, with a device such as a portable shopping assistant device; if the item is not scanned in an appropriate manner, such as within a particular a time period, then theft of the item may be suspected. Information for completing a purchase transaction can be sent from the portable shopping assistant device. In this manner, items can be purchased directly from the protected areas.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a security system forinventory, and more particularly to automatically detecting removal ofinventory items from an area or areas protected with security sensors(such as radio-frequency identification, or “RFID”, sensors), and in aretail environment, enables shoppers to purchase items directly fromshelves or other protected areas.

Theft and shoplifting are problems in many environments. For retailbusinesses, for example, billions of dollars are lost every year toshoplifting. Employee theft from inventory stored in warehouses is alsoa serious problem and results in large amounts of lost revenue.

In the retail environment, traditional checkout involves a cashier atthe front of the store scanning individual products and completing apurchase transaction for a shopper, all at one time. In recent years,self-checkout point-of-sale (“POS”) stations have been introduced bysome retailers. While these self-checkout stations may reduce laborcosts for the retailer and reduce waiting time for customers makingpurchases, new challenges are introduced in preventing theft. Presently,a retailer creates a database of each inventory item offered for sale,where the information stored for each item typically includes the item'sUniform Product Code (“UPC”, sometimes referred to as a “bar code”) orother identifying code, description, price, and weight. When a shopperscans the UPC of an item being purchased using a scanning mechanism atthe POS station, the item weight is retrieved from the database.Shoppers are typically directed by the self-checkout POS station toplace all purchased items in a particular area of the station, where thecollection of scanned items can be weighed. The weight of the collectionis then compared against the expected weight of all scanned items (e.g.,to determine whether any non-scanned items have been added).

This present approach to self-checkout represents a large amount of timespent at the checkout station. As an additional drawback of thisapproach, theft is not adequately prevented.

It is known in the art to use RFID scanning of items—either individuallyor in bulk—at the front of a store, all at one time, to complete asingle purchase transaction. For bulk scanning, for example, the entirecontents of a shopper's shopping cart may be scanned at a checkout areain the front of a store. However, in actual practice, theradio-frequency energy from the RFID tags tends to be shielded by metalitems that may be present in the cart, such as canned goods, aluminumfoil, and so forth, and thus this type of bulk scanning sometimesprovides incomplete information.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In preferred embodiments, the present invention provides a securitysystem for inventory whereby removal of inventory items from an area orareas protected with security sensors can be automatically detected.Theft of inventory items can therefore be detected and reported. Thispreferably further comprises, in one aspect, a security system forinventory, comprising: at least one security sensor positioned toprotect an area (such as a shelf or display case, or portion thereof) bydetecting presence of each of at least one items contained within thearea, wherein each of the at least one items sends has a transmissionmechanism coupled thereto or integrated therewithin, the transmissionmechanism capable of sending signals that are detectable by the at leastone security sensor while the item remains within proximity of at leastone of the at least one security sensors; and processing removal of anyof the at least one items, responsive to failing to detect the presencethereof within the area. In this aspect, processing the removalpreferably comprises: identifying the removed item and a person removingit; and awaiting a signal that the person removing the item completes aremoval transaction within a designated time period, and if not,treating the removal as a potential theft.

Preferably, each of the at least one security sensors comprises at leastone radio-frequency identification (“RFID”) antenna, and thetransmission mechanism is an RFID security tag (in which caseidentifying the removed item preferably further comprises obtaining anitem identifier from the RFID security tag).

In a further aspect, the prevention invention preferably comprisesenabling item purchase directly from a protected area by monitoring, byat least one security sensor positioned to protect the area, presence ofeach of at least one items expected to be contained within the area,wherein each of the at least one items sends has a transmissionmechanism coupled thereto or integrated therewithin, the transmissionmechanism capable of sending signals that are detectable by the at leastone security sensor while the item remains within proximity of at leastone of the at least one security sensors; and responsive to detecting,by at least one of the security sensors, a removal of any of the atleast one items, identifying the removed item and awaiting a signal thata person removing the item completes a purchase of the item within adesignated time period following the removal, and if not, treating theremoval as a potential theft.

In yet another aspect, the present invention preferably furthercomprises enabling item ownership transfer directly from a protectedarea by receiving notification that a security sensor disposed toprotect an area from theft has detected removal of an item from thearea, wherein the security sensor is adapted to receive communicationsignals from the item while the item remains within proximity of thesecurity sensor and the item is adapted for iteratively transmitting thecommunication signals; notifying a remover of the item that the itemshould be purchased to avoid signalling a security system of theremoval; and receiving notification, within a designated time period,that the remover of the item requests to purchase the item, andresponsive to receiving the notification, for invoking a purchasetransaction, or for signalling the security system of the removalotherwise.

The foregoing is a summary and thus contains, by necessity,simplifications, generalizations, and omissions of detail; consequently,those skilled in the art will appreciate that the summary isillustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. Otheraspects, inventive features, and advantages of the present invention, asdefined by the appended claims, will become apparent in the non-limitingdetailed description set forth below.

The present invention will be described with reference to the followingdrawings, in which like reference numbers denote the same elementthroughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a sample configuration of components of a security systemfor inventory, according to preferred embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a representative RFID tag, according to the priorart;

FIGS. 3-8 provide flowcharts depicting logic that may be used whenimplementing preferred embodiments;

FIG. 10 depicts a data processing system suitable for storing and/orexecuting program code; and

FIG. 11 depicts a representative networking environment in which one ormore embodiments of the present invention may be used.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are directed toward asecurity system for inventory comprising items stored in an area orareas protected with security sensors. The protected area may comprise ashelf, a display area (such as a wall within a display case), a bin orother storage area (such as a freezer holding frozen items), or aportion thereof. When an item is removed from the protected area, itsremoval is automatically detected by the security sensors. In a retailenvironment, use of techniques disclosed herein enables a shopper topurchase items directly from a protected area (referred to hereinafteras a shelf for ease of reference), even though this shelf may beremotely located from the traditional front-of-store checkout location.

In preferred embodiments, the security sensors use radio-frequencyidentification (“RFID”) technology. A person removing the item scans anidentifying code of the item, such as its bar code or RFID security tag(referred to hereinafter as an “RFID tag”), with a device such as aportable shopping assistant device; if the item is not scanned in anappropriate manner, such as within a particular a time period, thentheft of the item may be suspected (as will be described in more detailherein).

In a retail environment, an embodiment of the present invention may beused when shoppers are purchasing items in a traditional retail store,an open-air kiosk, a kiosk in an airport or other public area, and soforth. For the retail environment, the scanning of the item by theshopper preferably indicates that the shopper is making a purchase ofthe scanned item. In a warehouse environment or an environment whereemployees have access to expensive equipment (such as in medicallaboratories), an embodiment of the present invention may be used whenemployees are removing items from shelves or other storage areas. Forthe warehouse environment, the scanning of the item preferably indicatesthat the employee is making a transfer of the scanned item (for example,from in-house inventory storage to shipping); if the item does notarrive at its intended destination, it may be presumed that thisemployee has stolen it. An embodiment of the present invention may beused in other environments as well, such as detecting when a librarypatron removes a library book from a shelf, and thus the uses andenvironments discussed herein are by way of illustration and not oflimitation. For the library environment, the scanning of the itempreferably indicates that the library patron is checking the scanneditem out for his or her temporary loan. Whereas a shopper takesownership of an item following a purchase transaction at the protectedarea, according to preferred embodiments, the person removing an itemand carrying out a transaction in other environments may generally beconsidered as taking responsibility for (rather than ownership of) theremoved item.

Components of a security system 100 for inventory, according topreferred embodiments, are depicted in the sample configuration of FIG.1, and will now be described.

In preferred embodiments, the items in inventory each have an integratedinformation-transmitting and information-receiving device such as anRFID tag. See, for example, reference number 160 of FIG. 1. An RFIDreader and tag system includes both passive elements (an antenna) andactive elements (a read-write data memory, control circuitry, and aradio-frequency transponder). RFID tags are typically not self-powered,but may receive their power via capacitative coupling directly fromenergy in the radio frequency signal transmitted from an external radiofrequency source to the RFID tag. When brought into proximity with anRFID reader at a typical effective distance of about 1 centimeter to 5meters (depending on the type of tag and reader antennas), the RFID tagreceives sufficient power to enable clocking the semiconductor andanalog portions comprising the transponder, control circuits, and datamemory through enough clock cycles that the tag can return the data bitsfrom its memory as a digitally-encoded RF signal. This is advantageousbecause the tag can be read (or written) from a distance without thenecessity of line-of-sight, as is required to read a bar code with alaser scanner.

A representative RFID tag 200 of the prior art is illustrated in FIG. 2,showing a coiled antenna 220 (which in this example takes on a generallysquare shape) embodied on some type of substrate 210. Note that whilediscussions herein refer primarily to using RFID “tags”, this is notmeant to limit the present invention to use with a particular physicalform of RFID implementation. RFID tags may be more generally referred toas transponders, and are generally capable of both transmitting andreceiving data. An RFID tag may be attached to an item, may be embeddedinto the item, or may be provided in an embodiment independent from anitem, and it is not necessary that the physical embodiment of the RFIDcomponents resembles a tag. For ease of reference, RFID tags arereferred to herein as being integrated into an item. (While discussionsherein are primarily in terms of RFID technology, this is by way ofillustration and not of limitation, and other technology may besubstituted without deviating from the scope of the present invention.In addition, the terms “RFID interrogator”, “RFID reader”, and “RFIDantenna” are used herein by way of illustration.)

Referring again to FIG. 1, preferred embodiments include a protectedarea such as product display case 145, from which items may be removedby a shopper or other person. Preferably, the protection of the areacomprises configuring the area with a security sensor (or sensors)capable of detecting item removal, such that a security sensor acts as amonitor for the area and its items. When the items use integrated RFIDtags, the security sensors preferably comprise RFID antennas capable ofsensing the signals which are periodically emitted from theitem-integrated RFID tags, and these antennas are preferably positionedto detect whether the items remain within proximity of the protectedarea. The particular configuration of the security sensors within aprotected area may vary, depending on factors such as the type ofsecurity sensor, its range and granularity of detection, the type ofitems contained within the protected area, and the type of protectedarea. As one example, if shelves in a grocery store are configured asprotected areas, it may be desirable to segment each shelf at aparticular lineal measurement for purposes of positioning the securitysensors. A physical shelf may therefore contain multiple protectedareas, such that the entire shelf may comprise a group of protectedareas (which may be logically chained together). A shelf area protectedby an RFID antenna configuration might be on the order of several feetin length or longer, for example. As another example, it may bedesirable to configure an entire display case as one protected area byarranging multiple shelf segments, end-to-end down a store aisle.

FIG. 1 also illustrates a sample portable shopping assistant device 195,which in preferred embodiments is a relatively-small wireless devicecomprising a scanning mechanism such as a bar code scanner and/or anRFID tag reader, and means for communicating with security system 100.Preferably, the scanning mechanism is used when the shopper ispurchasing an item and scans an item-identifying code to identify theitem. The portable shopping assistant device 195 may include a bar codescanner for scanning legacy UPC codes or other types of bar codes.However, it is expected that RFID tags will become ubiquitous in thenear future, and the shopping device 195 may alternatively use an RFIDtag reader in addition to, or instead of, the bar code scanner. Anexample of a portable shopping assistant device that exists in the priorart and may be used as device 195 is the commercially-available IBMMobile Tablet for Retail, marketed by the International BusinessMachines (“IBM”) Corporation.

The shopping device 195 may communicate 190 with security system 100using (by way of illustration but not of limitation) cellular phonetechnology, Bluetooth technology, 802.11 communications, or otherwireless means to indicate that the shopper wishes to purchase a scanneditem. Embodiments of the present invention may support different typesof shopping devices, and optionally may support multiple types ofshopping devices. The supported devices may be adapted for reading orscanning other types of item-identifying information beyond bar codesand RFID tags, without deviating from the scope of the presentinvention. Furthermore, devices may be used that are not specificallydesigned as “shopping” devices. As one example, the portable shoppingassistant device may comprise a cell phone-type device that is adaptedto providing a product scanner function. As another example, a wirelesspersonal digital assistant (“PDA”) scanning function may be used.

Shopping device 195 may also comprise a biometric reader or other meansfor identifying the shopper who is using the device, enabling theshopper to “log in” to the device. Or, the device may comprise othermeans of identifying the shopper, such as a keypad on which the shoppercan enter a personal identification number (“PIN”) that is then comparedto a previously-stored value. The shopper may be identified to thedevice prior to beginning the overall shopping process, thus shorteningtransaction time when purchasing items. As another approach, the shoppermay be identified at each purchase transaction, without deviating fromthe scope of the present invention. Optionally, the shopper's financialaccount information may be stored in the portable shopping assistantdevice. In this case, the stored account information is preferablyprotected using encryption.

Portable shopping assistant device 195 may optionally include a displayarea, such as a miniature liquid crystal display (“LCD”), and mayinclude audio functionality using integrated speakers. It may bepreferable to use low-cost, low-function digital processing circuits indevice 195, rather than traditional high-cost mobile processor andpersonal computer technology such as chipsets, discrete memory modules,input/output chips, and so forth.

Referring now to a retail environment, by way of example, a shopper maypurchase items directly from a retail store shelf (or other protectedarea) using techniques disclosed herein, as mentioned earlier. When theshopper removes an item from display case 145, for example, a securitysensor such as an RFID antenna that protects the display case sensesthat the item has been removed, and RFID antenna control processor 155preferably transmits 135 a notification to security system processor105. In addition, upon detecting the item removal, preferred embodimentsprovide a message to the shopper to inform the shopper that he or shemay purchase the item by scanning it using the portable shoppingassistant 195, or that alternatively, the item should be returned to theprotected area. This message may be presented visually and/or audibly.FIG. 1 illustrates an integrated shopper information display 170 (whichmay be a conventional computer monitor-type display) at the protectedarea 145 and speakers 165 that may be provided for this purpose.Furthermore, in preferred embodiments, a photograph of the shopper istaken using a surveillance camera 140 that is positioned to captureimages of shoppers for this protected area. Multiple cameras may be usedfor a particular protected area, if desired. Furthermore, video camerasmay be used instead of, or in addition to, still cameras. Preferably,all items within the protected area are within line-of-sight coveragefor the camera or cameras, thus providing complete coverage for thearea.

An item-specific time interval is preferably used to determine how longthe shopper may keep an item out of the protected area, withoutpurchasing it, before theft of the item is suspected. If this timeinterval is exceeded, a warning may be provided to remind the shopperthat a decision is needed to either purchase the item or return it tothe protected area (and the return of the item to the protected area isdetected by the RFID antenna or other security sensors which are used toprotect that area). Signal lights 150 may be flashed for this warning,for example. In addition or instead, a warning message may be providedaudibly using speakers 165 and/or visually using information display170. Security personnel may be alerted when theft is suspected. Suchalerts may be audible and/or visual. It may be desirable to provide suchalerts in a manner that prevents the shopper from hearing and/or viewingthem, for example by sending a message to a mobile device of thesecurity personnel. Refer also to FIGS. 3-8, where this processing isdiscussed in more detail.

Inventory management system 100 also preferably includes a securitysystem processor 105, and this security system processor is communicablycoupled to the RFID antenna control processor 155 (or other processor orcontroller) of the protected area or areas such as display case 145.Wireless or wired means may be used for communications therebetween. Thesecurity system processor preferably comprises security system controlsoftware 115 and is also communicably coupled to a server 175 whichhosts personal shopping assistant management software 180 and RFIDinventory management software 185. (Alternatively, these softwareapplications may be hosted on the same device as the security systemcontrol software 115 without deviating from the scope of the presentinvention.) Preferably, the security system processor 105 is responsiblefor generating and distributing the audio speaker output (see 110 a),video display output (see 110 b), security personnel alerts (see 110 c),and signal light output (see 110 d) discussed above. Security systemprocessor 105 is also preferably responsible for receiving the capturedimages of shoppers' photographs (see 110 e), and may also receive inputfrom RFID sensors placed at the store exit (see 110 f), as will bediscussed in more detail below.

The server 175 (or a data repository accessible therefrom) preferablystores information about the store's inventory. RFID inventorymanagement software 185 is preferably adapted for subtracting purchaseditems from inventory, and may also subtract items from inventory whenthose items are determined to have been stolen or are otherwiseunaccounted for. Server 175 also may store information about shoppers,which may be associated with a shopper's loyalty card account.Optionally, a shopper's account number at one or more financialinstitutions may be stored at server 175 (or a data repositoryaccessible therefrom). Alternatively, this information may be retrievedfrom the shopping device 195 (and in this case, encrypted communicationsare used in preferred embodiments for communications 190 that transfersuch information).

A communications mechanism 125, such as a broadband Internet connection,a telephone line connection, or a wireless connection (shown generallyat reference number 120) is preferably used at server 175 to transmitand receive financial information regarding a shopper's item purchases.For example, an amount of the shopper's purchase may be transmitted to afinancial institution such as a bank or credit card company, andverification of sufficient funds and/or notification of funds transferto an account of the retailer may be transmitted from the financialinstitution. It should be noted that financial institutions with whichtransactions may be processed are not limited to traditional banks andcredit card companies. As one alternative, a provider of the wirelessservice used for transmitting messages to and from the shopper'sportable shopping assistant device may process purchase transactions onbehalf of the shopper, and such transactions may be charged to theshopper's account with the wireless service provider. As anotheralternative, the purchase transaction information may be communicated toanother entity such as a telephone ordering center within a retailstore, and this entity may then communicate externally with theshopper's financial institution.

It may be desirable in some environments to provide shopping carts (notshown in FIG. 1) with lids or other means that prevent casual removal ofthe paid-for items stored therein (for example, to prevent unscrupulousshoppers from stealing from other shoppers' carts).

Personal shopping assistant management software 180 will now bedescribed in more detail with regard to the flowcharts depicted in FIGS.3-8.

Referring first to FIG. 3, a polling operation is initially performed(Block 300) to gather information from the item-integrated RFID tags ofall items in a protected area. Upon receiving the results, an AreaInventory List is populated with the serial number (“S/N”) obtained whenreading the RFID tag of each detected item (Block 305).

Note that while UPC codes traditionally store only a product category ortype, such as a particular brand of facial tissues in a particular sizedbox and color, RFID tags are generally adapted for storing an“Electronic Product Code” (“EPC”). An EPC identifies a consumer productindividually, not just by type. Present versions of the code used forEPCs comprise 96 bits of information, organized as an 8-bit header, twosets of 24 bits that identify the manufacturer and the product type(respectively), and a 40-bit serial number. (Ninety-six bits encodeenough information to uniquely identify trillions of objects.) Preferredembodiments preferably use this 40-bit serial number, and may optionallyalso use the manufacturer and product type information.

After populating the Area Inventory List, an iterative loop formonitoring the items in the protected area then begins at Block 310,which checks to see if a “Reset Inventory” command has been received. Itmay be desirable to reset the inventory list for an area when shelvesare restocked with new merchandise, for example. Accordingly, if a resetcommand was received, control transfers to Block 300 to re-poll theitems in the protected area and update the inventory list. Otherwise,processing continues at Block 315.

At Block 315, a polling operation is performed to determine the itemscurrently within the protected area. Preferably, any items on this listthat are flagged as “stolen” (as discussed below with reference to Block715 of FIG. 7) are not further processed during this polling operation.The Area Inventory List that was established at Block 305 is compared(Block 320) to the results of this polling operation, for those itemsfrom the Area Inventory List which have not been flagged as stolen.Block 325 checks (using the item serial numbers) to see if any of thenon-flagged items from the Area Inventory List are missing in thenewly-polled list. If so, then for each of the missing items, controltransfers to the logic depicted in FIG. 4, which in preferredembodiments performs a first of several levels of security processing.

FIG. 3 illustrates, between Blocks 325 and 330, encircled “F”, whichindicates that the purchase transaction processing shown in FIG. 8 maybe carried out at this point (e.g., responsive to detecting that theshopper scans a removed item).

Following a negative result at Block 325 (i.e., when none of the serialnumbers are missing) and following completion of the processing in FIG.4, processing continues at Block 330.

Referring now to FIG. 4, this processing represents a first level ofsecurity whereby the item removal is detected, the shopper receivesfeedback that a system is monitoring their actions, the first level ofsecurity system is activated to monitor the environment, and an intervaltimer is started, as will now be described. In preferred embodiments,the serial number of an item which is missing from the newly-polled listis stored in a Removed Item List (Block 400) for this protected area.For ease of reference, this serial number is referred to in the figuresas having some value ‘x’, where ‘x’ represents a value that uniquelyidentifies that product among the products in the protected area. Atthis point, it may be presumed that the shopper has removed the item forpurchase or perhaps for inspection, for example to read informationcontained on the item's label. Preferred embodiments therefore provideinformation designed to assist the shopper in making a purchase, as willnow be described with reference to Blocks 405-410.

In Block 405, an audible message is preferably sent to the speakerswhich are found at the protected area (see reference number 165 of FIG.1). This message may be a pleasant greeting to the shopper as a subtlesignal that a security system is monitoring his or her actions, or adirect message that a security system is in progress to prevent theft.The audio message may also (or alternatively) provide information aboutthe item which was removed, such as its price, and/or instructions abouthow to make a purchase. In addition to or instead of an audible message,such information may be displayed visually (Block 410), and this visualdisplay may use the display device found at the protected area (seereference number 170 of FIG. 1). Or, one portion of the information tobe provided may be sent to the speakers, while a different portion issent to the visual display device. In alternative embodiments,information may be sent to speakers and/or a display of the shopper'spersonal shopping device 195.

Optionally, the visual display may contain a touch-sensitive overlay orother mechanism which allows interaction by the shopper. The shopper mayuse this to page through different screens of information about theitem, for example. As other examples, the shopper may use theinteraction mechanism to access a wide variety of information concerningthe items for sale, to obtain remote purchasing instructions, to requestassistance from store personnel, or to perform other tasks that may bedesired in a retail shopping environment.

As a further theft deterrent, still or real-time motion video of theshopper may be displayed to the shopper on the visual display mounted atthe protected area. This visual image may also be used by securitypersonnel to identify and track a potential thief as they move about thestore and eventually attempt to leave the premises. Storage of the videoimages may be subsequently purged, for example at such time that theimage is no longer required for security or the storage database becomesfilled. Surveillance camera 140 preferably captures a photographic imageof the shopper (Block 415). In Block 420, this image and an associationof the image with the removed item having serial number ‘x’ istransmitted to security system control software (see reference number115 of FIG. 1). Wired or wireless means may be used for thistransmission (not shown in FIG. 1). The image (and/or video, asappropriate) is then sent to server 175 for storage and processing, inpreferred embodiments.

At Block 425, a timer is started for this particular removed item. Thetimer is referred to herein as “S/N ‘x’ Removed Timer1”. This timer isused to count down an interval of time during which the item having aparticular serial number remains out of the protected area withouthaving been purchased by the shopper. The interval of time to use foreach item may be identical; alternatively, item-specific time intervalsmay be used. In the latter case, the length of the interval ispreferably configured such that the shopper is allowed sufficient timeto inspect this particular removed item.

Control then returns to FIG. 3, resuming processing at Block 330, whichtests to see if the item having serial number ‘x’ has been purchased bythe shopper. If the test in Block 330 has a positive result (i.e., themissing item was purchased), then for each of those items, controltransfers to the logic depicted in FIG. 5. Otherwise, processingcontinues at Block 335 (and control also resumes at Block 335 followingcompletion of the processing in FIG. 5).

Referring now to FIG. 5, the purchased item with serial number ‘x’ ispreferably removed from the Removed Item List (Block 500) for theprotected area, such that the security system no longer monitors theitem, and is added to a Purchased Items list (Block 505). Also, the “S/N‘x’ Removed Timer1” timer is stopped (Block 510). Block 515 then updatesthe Area Inventory List for this protected area, such that the item withserial number ‘x’ is no longer on the list. The general retail storeinventory database is preferably also updated to reduce the overallstore inventory, reflecting the item purchased (Block 520). The shopperhas taken ownership of the item at this point.

Control then returns to FIG. 4, resuming processing at Block 335, whichtests to see if a “S/N Removed Timer1” has ended for any items from thisprotected area. If so, then for each of those items, control transfersto the logic depicted in FIG. 6. Otherwise, processing continues atBlock 340 (and control also resumes at Block 340 following completion ofthe processing in FIG. 6).

Referring now to FIG. 6, a second level of progressive security measuresis reflected therein. According to preferred embodiments, this secondlevel gives a shopper an additional warning that an item which has beenremoved from the protected area—for a time interval longer thanpermitted by the item's “Timer1” value—must either be purchased orreturned to the protected area. Accordingly, Block 600 preferablyactivates signal lights at the protected area (see reference number 150of FIG. 1), and in Block 605, an audio message is preferably sent to thespeakers 165. This audio message preferably informs the shopper of hisor her options, e.g., to complete the purchase or return the item. Themessage may also inform the shopper that security personnel will benotified in the event that neither of these actions occurs in a timelymanner.

Preferred embodiments then start another timer, referred to herein as“S/N ‘x’ Removed Timer2” (Block 610). This timer is used to count downan interval of time during which the shopper can complete the purchaseof the item having serial number ‘x’ or return the item to the protectedarea. The interval of time used for this timer is preferably shorterthan the interval used for the “Timer1” timer (as the shopper hasalready had sufficient time to inspect the removed item). Optionally, anembodiment of the present invention may notify the shopper of the timeinterval in the warning message given at Block 605.

Following completion of the processing in FIG. 6, and also following anegative result for the test at Block 335, control reaches Block 340.Block 340 tests to see if a “S/N Removed Timer2” has ended for any itemsfrom this protected area. If so, then for each of those items, controltransfers to the logic depicted in FIG. 7. Otherwise, processingcontinues at Block 345 (and control also resumes at Block 345 followingcompletion of the processing in FIG. 7).

Referring now to FIG. 7, a third progressive level of security isprovided by preferred embodiments that notifies security personnel whentheft of an item from a protected area is suspected. This processing isinvoked when both the “Timer1” and “Timer2” values for the item havingserial number ‘x’ have elapsed without the item either being purchasedor returned to the protected area. Accordingly, it may be presumed thatthe item having serial number ‘x’ has been stolen. Block 700 preferablyadds the item's serial number to an Item Theft List. In Block 705,security personnel are notified. As mentioned earlier, this notificationmay be sent in a way that prevents the suspected thief from beingwarned, for example by sending a message to a mobile device of thesecurity personnel. The captured image of the shopper may be includedwith this notification. Item sensors located at the store exit (whichmay be of a conventional type) are preferably activated at Block 710,and may be adapted to receive a notification of the item serial numberand/or other item-identifying information of the particular item, suchthat the sensor can monitor and thus detect when the shopper attempts topass through the exit with this particular item.

In Block 715, the item is preferably flagged as “stolen” on the AreaInventory List. Rather than remove the item from the list entirely, thisflagging approach facilitates getting the item back onto the correctshelf if the theft is prevented. Security system control software 115preferably runs an audit process to delete a flagged item from the AreaInventory List when a theft of the item is confirmed. This confirmationis preferably provided by security personnel.

Following completion of the processing in FIG. 7, and also following anegative result for the test at Block 340, control reaches Block 345.Block 345 tests to see any of the items previously removed from aprotected are have been found by the polling operation (e.g, the pollingoperation has detected the serial number of an item on this protectedarea's Removed Item List). This typically indicates that the shopper hasreturned a previously-removed item to the protected area rather thanpurchasing it. If various levels of security have been activated, thenthose levels are deactivated, as will now be described.

In Block 350, a “cancel security” signal is sent to the security systemcontrol software 115. Any security alerts that have been issued arecancelled (Block 355). Any timers that are running for this item arestopped (Block 360), including the “S/N Removed Timer1” and “S/N RemovedTimer2”. In Block 365, the “stolen” flag for the item is removed fromthe Area Inventory List.

When the test in Block 345 has a negative result and also followingcompletion of Block 345, control transfers to Block 310 to begin anotheriteration of the logic for monitoring the items in the protected area.

Referring now to FIG. 8, logic is depicted to illustrate how a purchasetransaction may be carried out. After deciding to purchase a removeditem, the shopper uses a personal shopping device to scan the item(Block 800) to obtain an item identification. This scanning may comprisescanning a bar code (such as a UPC code); in addition or instead, theitem's integrated RFID tag may be scanned. Scanning the RFID tag ispreferable, as it enables uniquely identifying this particular item (ashas been discussed above). In alternative embodiments, if a uniqueidentifier is not available in this scanning phase (for example, if theportable shopping assistant device does not have a RFID reader), thenthe UPC or other scanned identifier may be used to obtain a uniqueidentifier from the item from the RFID polling logic.

When an RFID reader is used to scan a product for the purpose ofpurchasing that item, the RFID reader will preferably be configured havea relatively limited-range antenna. This enables the RFID reader todiscriminate between the item to be purchased and all the other likeitem that remain in the protected area (e.g., on the shelf). Thislimited range may be (for example) less than one inch, and anappropriate range may be established (for example) by changing the sizeof the RFID reader's antenna. Using a limited-range antenna facilitatesscanning of only an item actually being purchased.

In Block 805, a purchase request, including an identification of theitem being purchased and information identifying the shopper, istransmitted from the shopper's personal shopping assistant device toPurchase Management software at the store, which is preferably hosted onserver 175. The transmission from the personal shopping assistant deviceto server 175 preferably uses wireless communications (see referencenumber 190 in FIG. 1).

The Purchase Management software is preferably adapted for receiving thetransmitted information from the personal shopping assistant device,obtaining pricing information for the item identified therein, andrequesting payment from a financial institution associated with thisshopper. As noted earlier, encrypted communications are preferably usedif information pertaining to the shopper's financial institution (suchas an account number) is transmitted with the purchase request. As onealternative, the store may determine the information pertaining to theshopper's financial institution using previously-stored orpreviously-obtained information (which may be associated with a shopperloyalty card of this shopper, for example).

Prior art techniques may be used for the Purchase Management softwarethat completes the purchase request received at server 175. For example,the retail store may have stored credit card numbers of its frequentshoppers maintained by a database on server 175. In this case, at thetime of purchase, the shopper may be prompted for a personal securityverification (e.g., a PIN number or password prompt, biometricinformation verification, or encrypted private security software key).After the shopper's identity has been verified by the PurchaseManagement software on server 175, the shopper preferably signals his orher permission to complete the purchase transaction with the credit cardcompany, as a normal credit card transaction would take place. Otherknown means of electronic purchase may be used by embodiments of thepresent invention, such as Electronic Funds Transfer with a financialinstitution or via a debit card transaction directly with the shopper'sbank account.

As an alternative to encrypting only those transmissions which transmitthe shopper's financial or account information, it may be preferable toencrypt all transmissions to and from the portable shopping assistantdevice. Optionally, embodiments of the present invention may provide aconfiguration interface whereby an administrator can specify whichcommunication flows should be encrypted.

Block 810 tests to see if a purchase confirmation has been received fromthe shopper's financial institution. If not, then an error message maybe transmitted to the shopper (Block 815). This error message may bepresented by audible and/or visual means, and may be presented using thespeakers and/or display device of the protected area and/or of theshopper's portable shopping assistant device. Upon completion of theerror message processing, control preferably exits from FIG. 8.

When the test in Block 810 has a positive result (i.e., the purchaseconfirmation has been received), control reaches Block 820, where apurchase verification message is preferably transmitted to the shopper'sportable shopping assistant device. A purchase confirmation message isthen presented to the shopper (Block 825), giving the shopper immediatefeedback that the purchase transaction has been completed (and that theshopper's account has been charged). As with the error message discussedabove, this confirmation message may be audible and/or visual, and ispreferably presented using speakers and/or a display area of theportable shopping assistant device. Optionally, a purchase confirmationmay be also be presented using the speakers and/or display device of theprotected area.

Block 830 then marks the item ‘x’ as being purchased on a shopping listthat is maintained, in preferred embodiments, by the personal shoppingassistant device. At Block 835, the previously-captured photo and/orvideo images of the shopper (discussed above with reference to Block 415of FIG. 4) is/are preferably deleted, now that the item has beenpurchased. Control then exits from FIG. 8.

When an embodiment of the present invention is used in an environmentwhere the items of the protected area are not for purchase, such as theemployee item checkout and library patron checkout environmentsdiscussed earlier, the processing in FIG. 8 may be adapted accordingly.For example, rather than completing a purchase transaction by a shopper,the transaction of interest may be completing a library item checkout bya library patron. In this case, rather than communicating with afinancial institution to process a purchase, the transaction maycomprise communicating with a library patron system to assign thescanned library items to an account represented by this person's librarycard. Accordingly, the term “removal transaction” may be used in ageneric sense to include purchase transactions and other transactionsthat follow from an item being removed from a protected area.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a sample shelf system 900 is depicted showing aplurality of shelves with RFID antennas configured. For ease ofillustration, the antennas are shown using a dashed outline. See, forexample, shelf 920 and its corresponding antenna 910. The antennas maybe embedded within the shelves, mounted under the shelves, mounted ontop of the shelves, or otherwise coupled thereto. Location of antennasmay be configured for optimum readability of RFID tags and may depend onfactors such as whether shelf units are metallic or non-metallic;whether product RFID tags are located on the top or bottom of the itemsto be contained within the protected area; or other physicalrelationships between the RFID tags, topology of shelf units, andproximity of RF-inhibiting materials such as metal shelves and metalproducts containing RFID tags. In this sample system 900, theconfiguration of the antennas facilitates reading RFID tags coupled tothe tops of metal cans placed on the shelves (by way of example).

As has been described, using techniques disclosed herein, shoppers maypurchase items directly from the shelves or other protected areas, wherethe purchase transaction is facilitated by the portable shoppingassistant device. The protected areas thus function as virtual vendingmachines, whereby ownership of an item can begin immediately afterremoving the item from the protected area. The shopper then does notneed to go through a checkout line at the front of the store, which mayresult in considerable time savings for the shopper and reduced laborcosts for the retailer. The retailer may also eliminate or reducestore-front point-of-sale stations, leading to reduced equipment costs.As an alternative, traditional store-front theft detection mechanismsmay continue to be used, thus providing another opportunity to preventtheft. For example, a store-front POS station may scan the RFID tags inthe shopper's cart to ensure the items have been marked as being paidfor (e.g., by comparing the item identifiers from the scanned RFID tagsto Purchased Items lists that have been created as discussed above withreference to Block 505 of FIG. 5). In contrast to current self-checkoutPOS stations, techniques of the present invention alleviate the need toindividually weigh each purchased item for security purposes.

Analogous types of transactions may be carried out in other environmentsin a similar manner, and similar savings may be realized. For example, alibrary patron may scan books or other items at the shelf, thus causingan immediate checkout of those items, and can then exit the librarywithout having to go through a checkout process at the library checkoutdesk.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, embodiments of thepresent invention may be provided as (for example) methods, systems,and/or computer program products. The invention preferably takes theform of an embodiment containing both hardware and software elements(although an embodiment comprising only hardware elements, in which theabove-described processing logic may be encoded, for example, on chips,is also within the scope of the present invention). The software mayinclude (but is not limited to) firmware, resident software, microcode,etc. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computerprogram product which is embodied on one or more computer-usable storagemedia (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, opticalstorage, and so forth) having computer-usable program code embodiedtherein, where this computer program product may be used by or inconnection with a computer or any instruction execution system. Forpurposes of this description, a computer-usable or computer-readablemedium can be any apparatus that can contain, store, communicate,propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with theinstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

The medium may be an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic,infrared, or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or apropagation medium. Examples of a computer-readable medium include asemiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computerdiskette, a random access memory (“RAM”), a read-only memory (“ROM”), arigid magnetic disk, and an optical disk. Current examples of opticaldisks include compact disk read-only memory (“CD-ROM”), compact diskread/write (“CD-R/W”), and DVD.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a data processing system 1000 suitable forstoring and/or executing program code includes at least one processor1012 coupled directly or indirectly to memory elements through a systembus 1014. The memory elements can include local memory 1028 employedduring actual execution of the program code, bulk storage 1030, andcache memories (not shown) which provide temporary storage of at leastsome program code in order to reduce the number of times code must beretrieved from bulk storage during execution.

Input/output (I/O”) devices (including but not limited to keyboards1018, displays 1024, pointing devices 1020, other interface devices1022, etc.) can be coupled to the system either directly or throughintervening I/O controllers or adapters (1016, 1026).

Network adapters may also be coupled to the system to enable the dataprocessing system to become coupled to other data processing systems orremote printers or storage devices through intervening private or publicnetworks (as shown generally at 1032). Modems, cable modem attachments,wireless adapters, and Ethernet cards are just a few of thecurrently-available types of network adapters.

FIG. 11 illustrates a data processing network environment 1100 in whichthe present invention may be practiced. The data processing network 1100may include a plurality of individual networks, such as wireless network1142 and network 1144. A plurality of wireless devices 1110 a-1110 c(which, by way of illustration only, represent a wireless pager 110 a, awireless cellular phone 1110 b, and the IBM Mobile Tablet for Retail1110 c) may communicate over wireless network 1142, and a plurality ofwired devices, shown in the figure (by way of illustration) asworkstations 1111, may communicate over network 1144. Additionally, asthose skilled in the art will appreciate, one or more local areanetworks (“LANs”) may be included (not shown), where a LAN may comprisea plurality of devices coupled to a host processor.

Still referring to FIG. 11, the networks 1142 and 1144 may also includemainframe computers or servers, such as a gateway computer 1146 orapplication server 1147 (which may access a data repository 1148). Agateway computer 1146 serves as a point of entry into each network, suchas network 1144. The gateway 1146 may be preferably coupled to anothernetwork 1142 by means of a communications link 1150 a. The gateway 1146may also be directly coupled to one or more workstations 1111 using acommunications link 1150 b, 1150 c, and/or may be indirectly coupled tosuch devices. The gateway computer 1146 may be implemented utilizing anEnterprise Systems Architecture/370™ available from IBM, an EnterpriseSystems Architecture/390® computer, etc. Depending on the application, amidrange computer, such as an Application System/400® (also known as anAS/400®) may be employed. (“Enterprise Systems Architecture/370” is atrademark of IBM; “Enterprise Systems Architecture/390”, “ApplicationSystem/400”, and “AS/400” are registered trademarks of IBM.)

The gateway computer 1146 may also be coupled 1149 to a storage device(such as data repository 1148).

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the gateway computer 1146may be located a great geographic distance from the network 1142, andsimilarly, the wireless devices 1110 a-1110 c and/or workstations 1111may be located some distance from the networks 1142 and 1144,respectively. For example, the network 1142 may be located inCalifornia, while the gateway 1146 may be located in Texas, and one ormore of the workstations 1111 may be located in Florida. The wirelessdevices 1110 a-1110 c may connect to the wireless network 1142 using anetworking protocol such as the Transmission Control Protocol/InternetProtocol (“TCP/IP”) over a number of alternative connection media, suchas cellular phone, radio frequency networks, satellite networks, etc.The wireless network 1142 preferably connects to the gateway 1146 usinga network connection 1150 a such as TCP or User Datagram Protocol(“UDP”) over IP, X.25, Frame Relay, Integrated Services Digital Network(“ISDN”), Public Switched Telephone Network (“PSTN”), etc. Theworkstations 1111 may connect directly to the gateway 1146 using dialconnections 1150 b or 1150 c. Further, the wireless network 1142 andnetwork 1144 may connect to one or more other networks (not shown), inan analogous manner to that depicted in FIG. 11.

The present invention has been described with reference to flow diagramsand/or block diagrams according to embodiments of the invention. It willbe understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/orblock diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flowdiagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer programinstructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer,embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in theflow diagram flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instruction meanswhich implement the function specified in the flow diagram flow or flowsand/or block diagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmableapparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that theinstructions which execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in theflow diagram flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

While preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed, additional variations and modifications in those embodimentsmay occur to those skilled in the art once they learn of the basicinventive concepts. Therefore, it is intended that the appended claimsshall be construed to include preferred embodiments and all suchvariations and modifications as fall within the spirit and scope of theinvention.

1. A security system for inventory, comprising: at least one securitysensor positioned to protect an area by detecting presence of each of atleast one items contained within the area, wherein each of the at leastone items sends has a transmission mechanism coupled thereto orintegrated therewithin, the transmission mechanism capable of sendingsignals that are detectable by the at least one security sensor whilethe item remains within proximity of at least one of the at least onesecurity sensors; and a processing circuit configured to process removalof any of the at least one items, responsive to failing to detect thepresence thereof within the area, comprising: identifying the removeditem and a person removing it; and awaiting a signal that the personremoving the item completes a removal transaction within a designatedtime period, and if not, treating the removal as a potential theft. 2.The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the at least onesecurity sensors comprises at least one radio-frequency identification(“RFID”) antenna.
 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein each ofthe at least one security sensors is a radio-frequency identification(“RFID”) sensor and wherein the transmission mechanism is an RFIDsecurity tag.
 4. The system according to claim 3, wherein identifyingthe removed item further comprises obtaining an item identifier from theRFID security tag.
 5. The system according to claim 1, wherein thesignal comprises a scan of an identifier of the removed item and anindication that the person removing the item is paying for the removeditem.
 6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the scan of theidentifier comprises a bar code scan.
 7. The system according to claim1, wherein the removal transaction comprises a purchase transaction. 8.The system according to claim 1, wherein the signal comprises a scan ofan identifier of the removed item and an indication that the personremoving the item is taking ownership of the removed item.
 9. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the signal comprises a scan of anidentifier of the removed item and an indication that the personremoving the item is taking responsibility for the removed item.
 10. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein the area comprises a display case.11. The system according to claim 1, wherein the area comprises at leasta portion of a shelf.
 12. The system according to claim 1, wherein thedesignated time period is configurable for each of the items.
 13. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein identifying the person comprisescapturing a photo image of the person.
 14. The system according to claim1, wherein identifying the person comprises capturing a video image ofthe person.
 15. The system according to claim 13, further comprisingdeleting the captured photo image of the person, responsive to anotification that the removal transaction is completed within thedesignated time period.
 16. A method of enabling item purchase directlyfrom a protected area, the method comprising steps of: monitoring, by atleast one security sensor positioned to protect the area, presence ofeach of at least one items expected to be contained within the area,wherein each of the at least one items sends has a transmissionmechanism coupled thereto or integrated therewithin, the transmissionmechanism capable of sending signals that are detectable by the at leastone security sensor while the item remains within proximity of at leastone of the at least one security sensors; and responsive to detecting,by at least one of the security sensors, a removal of any of the atleast one items, identifying the removed item and awaiting a signal thata person removing the item completes a purchase of the item within adesignated time period following the removal, and if not, treating theremoval as a potential theft.
 17. The method according to claim 16,wherein each of the at least one the security sensors comprises aradio-frequency identification (“RFID”) sensor and wherein thetransmission mechanism is an RFID security tag.
 18. The method accordingto claim 17, wherein identifying the removed item further comprisesobtaining an item identifier from the RFID security tag.
 19. The methodaccording to claim 16, further comprising capturing a video image of theperson, responsive to detecting the removal, wherein the signalcomprises a scan of an identifier of the removed item and an indicationthat the person removing the item is paying for the removed item.
 20. Acomputer program product comprising at least one computer useable media,the media embodying computer-usable program code for enabling itemownership transfer directly from a protected area, the computer programproduct comprising: computer-usable program code for receivingnotification that a security sensor disposed to protect an area fromtheft has detected removal of an item from the area, wherein thesecurity sensor is adapted to receive communication signals from theitem while the item remains within proximity of the security sensor andthe item is adapted for iteratively transmitting the communicationsignals; computer-usable program code for notifying a remover of theitem that the item should be purchased to avoid signalling a securitysystem of the removal; and computer-usable program code for receivingnotification, within a designated time period, that the remover of theitem requests to purchase the item, and responsive to receiving thenotification, for invoking a purchase transaction, or for signalling thesecurity system of the removal otherwise.